The Rhine River

Snowy Streets

Johno is complaining about the snow piling up in the streets of his New England town. Urban planning in the northeast did not allow for extra public space whereat things could be dumped. On any clear day, street parking in places like Great Barrington, Northampton, and Newton is difficult. The blizzard over the weekend simply overwhelmed urban design (at least from the perspective of the commuter):

[W]hen you live, as I do now, in a city that was in large part planned before the Battle of Concord, 38 inches of snow is a different story. When most side streets barely admit one lane of traffic under optimal conditions and are as convoluted as a David Eggers story, where the hell do you put three feet of snow?

He is not alone in his complaints. Driving around Waltham, snow blocked up most of the side lanes. Unfortunately, people still tried to drive in them, causing chaos. It is snowing again today, and campus has already closed ... not that it is a strong storm, like the weekend blizzard, but the grounds management cannot keep up with snow removal. Good thing I didn't have to drive out today.

Another take on the effects of the snow, listen to this report on All Things Considered about the Boston mayor's crackdown on the practice of reserving parking spaces that have been shoveled out with barrels. And check out that South Boston accent.

posted by Nathanael @ 10:37 AM